#1128 Daniel Silverman: Why People Believe Misinformation in War

Jul 25, 2025

Daniel Silverman, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Carnegie Mellon University, dives into the psychology of misinformation during war. He reveals how biased perceptions and manipulated narratives shape public belief, with critical examples from the U.S. drone campaign in Pakistan. The discussion explores why people cling to false narratives despite contrary evidence and emphasizes the impact of local experiences in conflict zones. Silverman advocates for elevating local voices to combat misinformation and highlights the emotional toll on both civilians and soldiers.

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INSIGHT

Defining Misinformation Types

Misinformation means false information, disinformation is intentional deception, and fake news mimics news format to deceive.
Daniel Silverman uses 'misinformation' broadly to cover all false information regardless of intent.

INSIGHT

Two Main Misinformation Buckets

Wartime misinformation often targets perceptions of who is winning and atrocity claims.
These categories influence loyalties and narratives across different conflicts.

INSIGHT

Impact of Wartime Misinformation

Misinformation in war influences beliefs and behaviors such as supporting combatants or violence.
Demonstrating exact impact on behavior is difficult but some cases show compelling evidence.

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Dr. Daniel Silverman is an Assistant Professor of Political Science in the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy and Technology (CMIST) at Carnegie Mellon University. His research focuses on international security, political psychology, and the politics of the Middle East and the wider Islamic world. He is particularly interested in the psychological factors – including the biases and misperceptions – that drive violent conflicts, and how they can be mitigated or leveraged to promote peace. He is the author of Seeing Is Disbelieving: Why People Believe Misinformation in War, and When They Know Better.

In this episode, we focus on Seeing Is Disbelieving. We start by discussing why misinformation (in war) matters, and whether misinformation translates into actual behavior. We then talk about what makes people susceptible to misinformation, and methods to study this. We go through examples like the US drone campaign in the tribal regions of Pakistan, the Syrian civil war, and Ukraine and Gaza. Finally, we discuss what we can learn from this knowledge, and whether it could have policy implications.

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